1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device that helps a golfer improve putting skills.
2. Background of the Prior Art
It has been said that if you conquer the skill of putting you have mastered the game of golf. While such a statement may not be entirely correct, being able to putt is a considerable advantage in golf. The putter is the only club that is consistently used on every hole with a few rare exceptions. It is also the club where finesse is paramount in shot delivery. Accordingly, putting practice requires long hours developing fine motors skills that allow exacting shot trajectory. While many golfers will spend such long hours on the putting practice greens, others will utilize various putting training aids that help develop the requisite muscle memory needed for superior putting skills.
Many such putting training aids are known in the art. These devices, which work with varying degrees of success, tend to suffer from one or more drawbacks. Many prior art devices are unusually complex in design and construction making such devices relatively expensive to manufacture and unnecessarily difficult to use and maintain. Other devices tend to have limited success in developing putting skills or are designed to develop only a component of the overall putting stroke.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a device that allows a golfer to develop and advance the golfer""s putting skills, which device overcomes the above-stated shortcoming in the art. Specifically, such a device must be of relatively simple construction and design making the device relatively inexpensive to manufacture and easy to use and maintain. The device must allow the golfer to develop skills needed for the every component of the putting stroke in order to improve overall putting skills.
The putting training device of the present invention, addresses the aforementioned needs in the art. The putting training device allows a golfer to develop and advance the golfer""s putting skills while being of relatively simple construction and design, thereby making the device relatively inexpensive to manufacture and easy to use and maintain. The present device allows the golfer to develop skills necessary for the entire putting stroke in order to improve overall putting skills.
The putting training device of the present invention is comprised of a first base member and a second base member connected by a shaft. A sleeve encompasses the shaft and slides along a length of the shaft and rotates about the shaft. A pocket is pivotally attached to the sleeve and is adapted to removably receive a golf club therein. A retainer secures the golf club within the pocket. The retainer may be a strap wherein a pair of cooperating hook and loop members are attached to opposing ends of the strap such that the strap encircles the pocket holding the golf club therein and the pair of hoop and loop members are cooperatively connected to one another for holding the golf club within the pocket. The pocket has a base member and an upwardly extending flange such that a sole of the golf club contacts the base member and a face of the golf club abuts the flange. The first base member has an aperture therethrough and the shaft passes through the aperture. The shaft has a hollow portion such that a laser emitting device is disposed within the hollow portion and laser light emitting from the laser emitting device to pass through the aperture.